Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has announced plans to carry out a large-scale sensitisation campaign across selected local government areas in three South-East states—Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu—in preparation for projected flooding in 2026.
Mr. Ezeani Nnanyelugo, NEMA’s Information Officer in Enugu State, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.
He said the agency, in collaboration with its partners and stakeholders, would undertake extensive public awareness campaigns in the affected states.
The flood preparedness initiative follows forecasts by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in its Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) released on February 10, and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in its Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) released on April 15.
Nnanyelugo noted that both agencies predicted high rainfall levels and an elevated risk of flooding in the three states under the NEMA Enugu Operations Office—Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu.
According to him, “We have flyers on flood risk reduction activities in both English and the indigenous Igbo language for distribution to flood-prone communities identified in the predictions.”
He added that the agency had already commenced and would sustain public enlightenment efforts through television, radio, and online platforms.
“Recently, the NEMA South-East Zonal Director and the Information Officer shared insights on NTA regarding NEMA’s preparedness plans,” he said.
He further disclosed that NEMA is collaborating with officials of NiMet and NIHSA to ensure that flood predictions are discussed at stakeholder meetings, trainings, and workshops aimed at reducing risks in the affected states.
The agency also plans to conduct sensitisation programmes, including drills and simulation exercises, in major flood-prone local government areas.
Nnanyelugo said NEMA had begun downscaling early warning information to identified hotspot councils and would soon commence direct communication with relevant local authorities and communities.
“We have started sharing weekly forecast alerts from NiMet and NIHSA with stakeholders via WhatsApp platforms, in addition to regular meetings. The public is advised to stay informed,” he said.
He added that the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with international humanitarian organisations, including KSRelief, UNOCHA, WFP, and IOM, to improve service delivery and support vulnerable populations.
According to him, NEMA will also collaborate with State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and community leaders to identify higher grounds, assess the condition of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, and update stakeholders’ equipment capacity.
Nnanyelugo noted that upcoming engagements would also focus on reviewing historical flood patterns in the states to mitigate losses associated with flooding.
